Importing iPhone 13 Pro. Mmwave 5g 26GHz Support

Lcheapskate2017 on 17/09/2021 - 15:24
Last edited 18/09/2021 - 10:57

So it seems like the iphone 13 sold in Australia is going to miss the mmwave (26ghz, n258) which optus and telstra have some sites. Does anyone have any experience importing iphones in Australia? Rought cost estimate? Does anyone had any experience dealing with Apples warranty for a phone sold overseas. I have read its only 1year warranty vs 2 years if I buy locally. Cheers

Mobile Apple Mobile Phone

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 17/09/2021 - 15:26
    +1

    You can't unless through eBay and lose warranty. I wouldn't bother. BHPhoto Video and Newegg are directed not to sell Grey Import from the US.

  • Drakesy on 17/09/2021 - 15:38
    +1

    What @levity said.
    Warranty trumps 26ghz n258 support

  • Hybroid on 17/09/2021 - 15:40
    +1

    Apple products have international warranty so that's not an issue. You usually won't get the same expedited replacement on the spot with Aus stock but they'll still take it away for repair, no problem.

    You won't, however, get ACL coverage beyond the 1 year warranty (or 2 with AppleCare).

    Having said that, purchasing from abroad & getting is shipped from a third party isn't ideal. All manner of potential issues, shipping delays, theft, customs charges etc etc.

    It's not worth it unless you're travelling abroad or someone else is coming in with it.

  • DannyC on 17/09/2021 - 16:06

    Plus mmwave frequencies will be very limited to mostly parts of the city. Good luck trying to get steady 5G out in the burbs or regional areas. We can't even get decent 4G out in the sticks unless you are with Telstra.

    • Islund on 17/09/2021 - 16:41
      +1

      I cannot even get decent 4G in Canterbury

  • ashnag on 17/09/2021 - 16:22
    +6

    Even if the hardware supports mmWave bands, iPhones load carrier configuration based on the SIM card.
    Unless Apple has support for n258 in Telstra/Optus configuration, I don't think you will get mmWave 5G on the imported iPhone.

    • cheapskate2017 on 17/09/2021 - 21:20

      i know telstra supports n258 on their 5g modem. i got a 5g sim. how can i check?

      • ashnag on 17/09/2021 - 22:15

        Telstra network has n258. You can't check if the imported iPhone with a 5G SIM can support n258.

        • cheapskate2017 on 17/09/2021 - 22:37

          https://www.apple.com/au/iphone/cellular/ I checked against this that US version supports it and the ACMA spectrum auction website.

          • ashnag on 17/09/2021 - 23:15
            +1

            @cheapskate2017: US version of iPhone supports n258 and Telstra/Optus has 5G mmWave in n258. But, unless Apple has enabled support for n258 in the operator configuration for Telstra/Optus, US variant should be similar to the AU variant w.r.t 5G.

  • deme on 17/09/2021 - 19:21

    Who cares it's a phone

  • User210686 on 17/09/2021 - 21:08
    +1

    I read that all iPhone 13 models are mmwave compatible, meaning there's only one model this year?

    iPhone 12 has mmwave US model and international model, and I wanted to get the US model for the same reason when iPhone 12 came out but ended up purchasing one locally because the earliest I would move to the US or travel to the US was after iPhone 13 released.

    I did some exercise to compare the cost of importing iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB from the US.

    If you use parcel forwarding service, the phone US$1,200 + shipping US$50 + GST US$125 + Entry Fee A$83 = A$2,079 (as of November 2020)
    If you ask friends/family to send it to you, declare amount <$1,000 on customs form, and assume shipping US$100, it comes to A$1,895 (as of November 2020, including NY sales tax)

    I paid $1,767 during JB and HN $800 gift card promotion using gift cards (after $800 gift card, Telstra ETC and one month bill, gift card discount).

    EDIT: looks like there's the US model for iPhone 13 and the rest like previous years

    • cheapskate2017 on 17/09/2021 - 22:36

      I am ok with the cost difference and I have no issues importing it. In Australia the ACMA has allocated 26ghz for mmwave 5g and only the us version iphone has support for it. If you get the local iphone version you can only get sub 6ghz 5g which is only slightly faster then current 4g. Dam that gift card is pretty good deal.

      • User210686 on 18/09/2021 - 08:55
        +1

        I forgot to mention but I became hesitant after reading concerning reviews on parcel forwarding companies. More than a few people said their brand new phones got stolen/lost. If you have friends/family in the US, ask them to ship it to you. I once shipped iPhone 7 when it first came out from NYC to my friend in Sydney via USPS Express Mail and declared a lower value amount but didn't have any issue. The only issue I had was with an incompetent post office worker insisting that I couldn't send a phone with a battery inside!

        And this has nothing to do with importing but at the post office in the US I had to redo the tape, so when I was done I just jumped the queue. Then I heard people behind me murmuring "oh Australians do that" because they could see 'Australia' written on my box. I thought it was funny because I'm not Aussie and hadn't even lived in Australia at the time.

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